An alcoholic who set fire to a hospital and spat in a nurse's eyes has been jailed for 22 months.

Ahmed Gure, 37, of Hylands Road, Walthamstow, also racially abused staff, and smeared excrement over the walls of a police cell when he was arrested.

He was charged with a string of offences surrounding three visits to hospital dating back to February 22, when he assaulted security guard Kamal Malik at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone.

He was abusive to police who arrested him and smeared his own excrement across his cell at Leyton Custody Centre.

A day after being released, on February 24, he lit a pillow and bed sheet and left them to burn in the middle of the waiting room at Naseberry Court, Merrian Close, Chingford.

The fire was quickly put out by staff, and Gure was again arrested.

He was held for a month before being bailed, but on April 16 when he attended an appointment at Homerton Hospital in Hackney, he refused to have blood samples taken.

When nurse Joel Rose received permission to take them without consent, he tried to bite him and called him a 'f**king n****r'.

He then spat in the eyes of two other nurses, Michael Georgiou and Haydar Top, leaving them needing jabs for Hepitatis B.

He finally headbutted PC Simon Jones when he was arrested.

Gure was said to be dependant on alcohol and cannabis, and had mental health problems linked to a traumatic upbringing in Somalia.

Sentencing him to a total of 22 months in prison, Judge David Radford said: 'All these offences occurred when you were making visits to hospital premises, and many of the victims were those employed by the NHS to assist members of the public.

'They are vulnerable to potential violence and abuse, and have a right to work without the fear of this kind of treatment.'

Gure admitted assault, criminal damage, arson, racial harassment, two counts of battery and assaulting a police officer.